A Young Man's Fancy
by samipi
Summary: AU, 1x2 gettogether, WIP. Heero, favoured son of a noble family, finds himself drawn to Duo, a servant for the Peacecrafts. Unsure of his feelings, Heero disguises himself as a tutor for the Peacecrafts in an effort to get closer to Duo...and to love.


Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to a good many people, none of which are me, so, not claiming ownership, not claiming this is 'official', not for profit, just for fun. Extend me a little leniency, people. Sometimes IP law is all about discretion.

Rating: PG  
Genre: AU (fusion with a Cantonese Opera, but no worries, no singing and no cymbals. )  
Pairing: 1x2  
Warnings: spoiled!Relena, Solo's not dead, but doesn't play a big role… some OOC-ness in Heero (he's a little more mellow than he would be strictly IC)… oh, and Noin is Heero's cousin.

Notes: hey, y'all just a quick blurb about the culture in this AU… I've loosely based it on old Chinese culture because of the whole Cantonese opera thing but a lot of it is quite imaginary… and anyways, currency rates are arbitrarily going like this: 100 copper pieces 1 silver piece, 10 silver pieces 1 gold piece. Let me know if you have a better suggestion:D

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A YOUNG MAN'S FANCY  
**Chapter 1**

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The market was unusually still for a Sunday morning. Only a handful of people could be seen browsing through the offered wares. The streets were fairly silent; the vendors seemed to be asleep at their stalls. And to think that Heero Yuy had deliberately left his family's large, relatively self-contained, compound to come into the city. The young noble was looking for a birthday present for his father, the county official. He'd heard such great things about this city's public market. Especially on Sundays, the servants in his household had whispered to him when his tutors had their backs turned. Sundays brought out the artisans, the true masters, and one almost always found something special on Sundays, they'd said. Looking around, though, Heero could only see the usual quality goods, worse even than those offered by the traveling merchants who serviced the compounds, such as the Yuy's, on the edge of the city. Heero, as the favoured son, was rarely allowed out beyond his family's walls and he'd been so looking forward to this foray into the city. He'd spent a week convincing his tutors to cover for him while he snuck out. 

To say he was disappointed was an understatement.

Still, he decided to take another turn through the art and curio district, just to be sure. There were stone statuettes, but Heero's uncle was the patron of a fantastic sculptor. There were copper pieces, jewelry, belt buckles, plates, bowls, goblets, plaques, reliefs, urns, but Heero still passed them by. They weren't anything special. He took a brief moment to pause at a potter's whose human-sized vases were quite extraordinary, though, of course, Heero couldn't think of a thing his father could do with what looked like a six-foot turd. But while he was pondering just what size animal would leave such a "dropping" behind, something quite spectacular did catch his attention.

A young man with his long brown hair all in braids was bargaining with the make-up vendor next to the potter. Heero was instantly taken with those wide violet eyes and that perfectly practiced "puppy dog" expression. The vendor appeared equally charmed and tucked an extra pot of rouge among the man's purchases. Actually, from the look of things, many vendors had been equally charmed. The handsome youth was almost beginning to stoop from the weight of his packages.

Intrigued, Heero decided to follow the sparkling boy, partly in hopes of perhaps getting to know him, and partly in hopes that he would at least lead him to some good shopping places. Judging from his many bags, satchels, bundles, and boxes, the guy had to know something Heero didn't.

As they passed the silk shops, an opportunity appeared.

One of the many parcels under the boy's arm was starting to slip. Heero quickly jogged forward and deftly caught the item just as it made its bid for freedom. The thing was particularly heavy and Heero was sure it would have smashed had it hit the ground. Its owner, having felt the brief liberation of its weight, whirled around, eyes comically wide and distinctly panicked.

"Excuse me," Heero tried his best to look casual though his heart was suddenly beating absurdly fast, "but I think you dropped this?"

The smile he received from the young man was enough to make Heero thank any and all of the gods in the Heavens who must have been blessing him today.

"Thank you so much!" he said, beaming at Heero.

"Do you want to see if it's broken?" Heero asked as he held out the rather solid object.

Instead of taking the thing from Heero, though, the boy simply reached out and undid the wrappings with one hand, holding Heero's hand steady with the other.

Heero thought he was going to pass out. The boy's palm was cool and obviously work roughened, but his touch was soft, and his thumb was stroking the back of Heero's hand, seemingly of its own volition.

"Is it okay?" Heero was surprised that his voice wasn't shaking as much as his insides were.

"It's perfect! Thank you so much. This foundation costs 10 gold pieces and I can't afford to buy another one."

Heero thought that foundation was an odd thing for a boy to be buying, but then court officials did wear a little powder, maybe this was a new trend he wasn't aware of. Then again, this boy looked rather young to have already passed his civil servant exams; one had to be eighteen to qualify for the exams. Heero, at seventeen, didn't feel remotely ready to make the journey to the Capital for the rigourous ten days of testing, let alone this…boy.

"I'm Duo, by the way," he said while struggling to shove the foundation into an already overfull sack.

Heero chuckled at the sight. It was like watching a dog chasing its own tail.

Duo stamped his foot and demanded to know just what was so funny, but Heero could see that the other boy wasn't really mad. In fact, Heero suspected that Duo acted the part of the fool on purpose. It probably fit in along with the "puppy dog" character. It was still pretty endearing, even if he knew the ploy for what it was. Seeing as Duo was clearly all but wagging his tail for Heero's attention, Heero decided to play along and took the role of the gallant gentleman, offering to carry Duo's packages and walk him home.

Duo chattered all along the way, taking a winding, rambling path that wove through most of the marketplace and dipped into a few of the more questionable alleys that Heero had been quick to ignore on his initial pass. As luck would have it, though, one such alley hid a marvelous calligrapher and Heero commissioned a wall scroll for his father, quoting the elder Yuy's favourite poem from memory for the artist. And because he was with Duo, Heero also got a great price and an upgrade on the damask backing fabric. He paid for it in cash, from the small "loose change" pouch he carried on his sash, and was told to come back to pick up the finished work in two days.

As they walked away from the calligrapher, Heero noticed that Duo was oddly silent. He turned to ask what the matter was only to find the boy staring at him with wide-eyed admiration.

"You know the Classic Poems?" Duo breathed, almost incredulous, but with a small spark of hunger his eyes.

Heero nodded. He thought everyone knew the nine Classic Poems. For one thing, they were required reading for the civil servant exams. And for another, they were printed and repeated on just about everything, decorative scrolls, ornamental screens, formal tea sets (both porcelain and clay), and all kinds of fabrics, even Heero's dogs slept on pillows embroidered with the Fifth Classic, the one about honour and loyalty.

"Then," and here, Duo paused, looking very unsure of himself, "you can read?"

"Of course I can read!" Heero exclaimed, surprised that it was even questioned. "Who doesn't know how to read?"

Duo flushed darkly and looked away, walking faster and leaving Heero behind.

"Duo?" Heero had to run a little to catch up. "Duo, did I say something wrong?"

"Just drop it, Heero," Duo snapped. "Gimme back my stuff and let me go home."

"What? Duo, come on—"

But Duo just turned around and started grabbing his things out of Heero's slack hold.

"Hey, wait! Duo, stop!" Heero caught the bag slung across the other boy's back. "Don't make me wrestle you down on the street, Duo. Stop and tell me what's wrong!"

To Heero's surprise, Duo slipped out of his grasp. Despite his long hair and numourous parcels, Duo was quick and very agile. Neither the hair nor the heavy boxes and bags seemed to be encumbrances. He spun away and tried to stalk off, but unfortunately for Duo, Heero was just as fast and a little more wide-set to boot. The young noble really did follow through on his word and tackled Duo to the ground.

"Oh, for gods' sake, let me up! If you've broken anything—"

"Then I'll pay for it," Heero growled. "Now tell me!"

"Tell you what?" Duo asked sulkily. "Get off me."

Heero wasn't swayed in the least, not by Duo's words, and not by Duo's halfhearted attempts to wriggle free. He sat firmly on Duo's midsection and resolved to stay put until Duo admitted that something was wrong. Actually, though, truth be told, Heero kind of…sort of…just a little bit…liked the wriggling. And so he sat there, just as casual as you please, smirking down at the long-haired boy.

Finally realizing that he wasn't going to get anywhere, Duo gave up with an exaggerated huff.

"Fine! If I promise to talk to you, can we do it standing up?"

Heero chuckled and relented, pulling both of them to their feet. Though Duo grumbled a lot, he didn't really complain when Heero all but picked him up and set him upright. As they brushed themselves and each other off, the two boys burst into embarrassed laughter, realizing that everyone had stopped to stare at them. Heero helped Duo check that all his purchases were unharmed and then he offered to treat Duo to tea as an apology.

As they approached Heero's favourite teahouse, really the only one he'd been too on his few jaunts into the city with his father, Duo started to dig in his heels.

"We can't go in there!" he hissed, fighting Heero's forward momentum.

"Why not?" asked Heero, making sure to keep a firm grim on Duo; he hadn't made a public idiot of himself only to let the boy run away now. "They have the best tea eggs."

"Yeah, at, like, 3 silver an egg! Come on, Heero. They probably won't even let us in the door!"

Heero was surprised. "Really? But I've been in there before…"

"Accompanying a noble or an official, right?" At Heero's nod, Duo continued: "They'll never let us in there alone, even if we had the money. They're snobs." The way he said it made it seem like the worst insult.

Heero was a little confused. Why would a teahouse discriminate against teenagers? Then again, he really hadn't seen anyone his age there the last time… which, granted, was two years ago… but still. So maybe Duo was right. Maybe kids were only allowed in if there was an adult present. He supposed that made sense; city youth were probably not as well-bred as the nobles in the suburbs. Most likely the teahouse had had issues with young patrons in its early years and thus the age limit policy. Heero shrugged: what did he know?

"Come, come, come," Duo urged, pulling Heero into the alley next to the prestigious teahouse. "I know a street vendor who sells tea eggs that I bet are just as good as those posh ones and she only charges 15 copper!"

Heero made a face. He couldn't think of anything worth eating that would only cost a mere handful of coppers. His tutors had given him very strict warnings about "street food" before they let him out of their sight. It would be visually exciting and nasally appealing, they said, but it would all end with a two day stint in the outhouse, if he got the drift (and here, they pinched their noses and gave him a significant look to help carry their point across). Heero did, indeed, get their drift and he wasn't looking forward to a bout of outhouse Issues, but he didn't know how to say so in front of Duo who seemed so enthusiastic.

They stopped in front of a small wooden cart halfway up the alley.

"Hilde!" Duo greeted the young proprietress with a familiar air that made Heero feel a bit weird inside.

"Hey, Duo, nice to see you out and about today. They finally let you out of your cage, huh?"

Heero had a mild moment of panic when the Hilde girl mentioned that Duo was being kept in a cage, but he luckily managed to catch onto the joke before making a fool of himself. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd heard of such practices though. Many of the lower nobles desperately desired to move up in society and they kept their sons under strict lock and key, forcing them to study for the civil servant exams which, if passed, led to certain prestige and monetary remuneration. These boys were kept in solitary rooms, their tutors lecturing from behind rice paper screens. They were never allowed outdoors, never allowed to relax, and certainly never allowed any friendships or entanglements or other things deemed to be a distraction from their studies. For some reason, it bothered Heero to think of Duo being trapped like that.

Duo, however, took the ribbing in stride and simply rolled his eyes in response.

"We'd like two tea eggs, Hil," said Duo, pointing at one of the small covered dishes in front of him.

Heero looked at the grubby stand, and the even grubbier girl, and mentally sent up a prayer to the gods to protect his stomach from the assault he was about to unleash upon it. He handed over his 30 copper coins and took the proffered eggs, giving one immediately to Duo, and resolving to discard his own as soon as they were out of sight. But alas, both Duo and Hilde gave him such expectant looks that Heero just knew he was going to have to peel and eat his egg on the spot.

The dark-haired girl beamed at Heero and Heero kind of smiled back. Well, he wasn't quite sure what his expression looked like, but he was trying for a smile and he thought that had to count for something.

To say that the egg tasted terrible would be inaccurate. After all, it didn't quite induce terror. Rather, it induced a strange, maybe morbid, kind of curiosity. It was quite rubbery. And Heero couldn't think of why that would be.

"Just as good as that posh, place, right?" Duo asked in between bites of his own egg.

Heero tried for that smile again.

Duo bid Hilde a cheerful good bye and steered the still-stunned Heero down the rest of the alley. A couple twists and turns later, found the two boys in a good-sized courtyard.

"I found this place when I got lost one day. I like it 'cuz it's really private. I don't think anyone owns it," said Duo to Heero's questioning glance.

They sat down in the shade of a gazebo and silently finished their eggs. Well, Duo finished his egg and Heero discreetly dropped his into a bush.

"So," Duo finally spoke up as he dusted the last of the egg shell from his hands, "about why I was upset with you—why do you look so shocked?"

"I thought you'd try to get out of it," said Heero.

Duo scoffed at this suggestion: "I'm not a liar, buddy," he said. "If I can say it, I'll do it."

Heero waved his hands in what he hoped was a placating manner. He hadn't meant to get Duo all riled; it was just so unexpected that someone who had been so adamant before would be so compliant now.

"Well," Duo just barreled on, "to answer your question from before, the answer is me. I don't know how to read." This last was all but mumbled into his hair as he hid behind it.

Heero was shocked. It was unheard of for a boy to be illiterate. How was he going to take the civil servant exams? There was no way Duo would be able to learn to read and study for the exams before his eighteenth year. Sure, Heero had heard of "mature" students, but the reality of it was that if one did not take the exams by 25, there was no hope of getting a government appointment. Duo couldn't be more than seventeen, but he couldn't be any younger than fifteen either. Even giving Duo full benefit of the doubt and calculating the maximum amount of time probable, ten years to learn everything didn't seem feasible to Heero, even if Duo did nothing but study every waking hour from now until his exam date.

"Are you going to make fun of me?" Duo asked in a very small voice, obviously intimidated by Heero's silence.

"Of course not!" exclaimed Heero. "I was just wondering how you were planning on taking your exams?"

Duo laughed, and though he was still blushing furiously, he no longer seemed quite as humiliated by his admission as he had been just seconds before.

"I can't take the exams! I'm just a servant!"

Heero was taken utterly by surprise. Duo hadn't seemed like a servant; he'd been spending money at the market like it was water. Besides, he was clean, well-dressed, and fairly well-spoken. Most servants were quite plain and kept their heads down and their mouths shut.

Duo saw where Heero had made his mistake right away.

"My mistress sent me out for some things," he explained, pointing at the numerous parcels scattered around them. "And she doesn't like her servants to go out looking like servants. She says it reflects poorly on the owners, letting their property get all shabby." Duo brushed some invisible dust off his admittedly simple but tailored robes.

Heero wanted to retort that servants were not property, but then, in a way, they kind of were.

"You don't have to look like that," said Duo, giving Heero a light punch on the shoulder. "I don't mind being a servant. It's better than being on the streets. And I bet it's a fair sight easier than trying to pound some education into those thick-headed spoiled brats like you have to do."

Duo had coupled Heero's ability to read with the pale blue scholars' robes he'd borrowed in order to sneak out without being noticed and assumed Heero was a tutor. Heero didn't want to be one of "those thick-headed spoiled brats" in Duo's esteem and so chose to let the assumption slide.

The two sat in companionable silence a little while longer, Duo swinging his feet and Heero just admiring the clear summer sky.

"So are you going to walk me home, or what?"

Heero picked up a couple of the heavier bags and stood at the circular gate to the courtyard.

"Lead on."

Now that they were returning to Duo's place of work, the boy was all business. There were no more meandering paths, circuitous routes, or superfluous stops at random stalls. Heero almost had to run to keep up with him. Granted, Heero was carrying most of Duo's purchases. They walked right past the wealthy merchants' residential district and headed towards the family compounds of the nobility in the suburbs. Heero hid behind the bolt of brocade fabric he had over his shoulder as he passed the Yuy gates. He wondered, briefly, just where they were going but then he caught sight the looming red walls and black lacquered doors ahead.

Ah, the Peacecraft house. Duo worked for the Provincial Magistrate.

They circled around the compound to approach the small, discreet, servants' door at the side. A stooped old man stood guard outside.

"Oi, Duo!" he shouted. "You're late! Miss Helen said that the Young Mistress has been looking all over for you!"

Duo rolled his eyes and waved the older man off, but he was quick to take his things back from Heero and trot over to the door.

"I better get inside and see what the princess wants," he said by way of an apology for his hasty departure. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime?"

Heero nodded automatically, not even considering the possibility that he'd never see Duo again (which was quite likely if his father caught him out and about rather than studying).

Then the long-haired boy leaned over and gave Heero a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Bye," said Duo, blushing. "And thanks!" he called over his shoulder as he ducked in the servants' door.

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TBC

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Notes:

(1) tea eggs – hardboiled eggs with their shells lightly cracked (just to the membrane beneath the shell, not through the membrane) are placed in a marinade of tea, soy sauce and sugar (at the very least) and left to soak for a bit. They're sold whole and with the shells on, so you get the fun of picking all the little bits of shattered shell off your egg before you eat it. :D when you finally peel everything off, the tea mixture has soaked in through the cracks so your egg looks like marble. And your egg… tastes pretty much like an egg with a little bit of salty flavour? (sounds kind of sketchy, but they're quite yummy.. :DD)

(2) kissing 'good-bye' – yeah… probably not acceptable AT ALL in the Chinese culture I'm drawing from… but remember, like I said at the beginning, it's all kind of make-believe.


End file.
